When you think about it, nuclear war would solve a number of problems. Outliving your money, hating your job, rising gas prices, growing old and feeble, losing your faculties (heck, losing your students for that matter), etc.

Personally, I favor the Shock Doctrine explanation, a la Naomi Klein's book. <<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine>> The idea is that the country has to be put into chaos before the time is ripe to institute "true" free market theory.

It didn't work to well in Chile. That was a violent upheaval by Pinochet's military overthrow of the government. The "Chicago School" economists in Chile did pretty good for a while - until the people revolted.

Shock Doctrine can also be accomplished by throwing the economy into a tailspin, which is what the neo-cons are trying to do by cutting taxes and increasing spending during the "Great Recession". Wisconsin is a prime example of the implementation in this country.